


Not Today, Thank You

by kraefandoms



Series: Songs from the Overworld, the Nether, and the End [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Grayson | Purpled Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt, Luke | Punz-centric, Punz Purpled and Hannah are mercenaries, Punz and Purpled are Brothers, Purpled does something stupid and Punz and Hannah are worried, bedwars but its not really bedwars, but its my fic i get to choose the characterization outside being mercenaries, dream only shows up in the last chapter, just a normal mercenary job until trouble strikes, not beta read we die like unus annus, not intentionally so but thats just how it turned out in the end, punz n purpled are probably ooc, this is still based on the dream smp characters and not the real people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kraefandoms/pseuds/kraefandoms
Summary: It’s just another day, Punz tells himself. Just another fight.Of course, taking jobs with his brother always put him on edge.Not because of Purpled’s fighting skills. Punz trained his brother himself. He knows his brother fights well.What really worried Punz is what happens when a mission eventually goes wrong.Like this one was promising to do.<< Can be read separate from the other works in this series!>>
Relationships: Grayson | Purpled & Hannahxxrose, Grayson | Purpled & Luke | Punz
Series: Songs from the Overworld, the Nether, and the End [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161275
Comments: 16
Kudos: 77





	1. Wet Hands

**Author's Note:**

> chapter titles inspired by the C418 songs by the same name!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh

It’s just another day, Punz tells himself. Just another fight.

Of course, taking jobs with his brother always put him on edge. 

Not because of Purpled’s fighting skills. Punz trained his brother himself. He knows his brother fights well.

What really worried Punz is what happens when a mission eventually goes wrong.

Like this one was promising to do.

The job paid well, so Punz took it without thinking. Purpled did the same, showing up to the rendezvous with his current work partner, an iron golem hybrid with roses growing up her arm. Hannah, Punz remembered. They’d met a few times before, and Purpled seemed to like fighting by her side, or at least more than most people he paired up with.

However, Punz is starting to regret it now. There were more people here at the camp than he expected, and while that wasn’t usually a problem, Punz is starting to get tired of them popping out of unexpected spots.

Also, he thinks as he notices Purpled’s shield breaking as one of the bandits slams an axe downwards onto it, Purpled yelping in surprise as he rolls away, the bandits seemed better prepared than he was expecting.

Though, he reassesses as he throws his axe at the bandit attacking his brother, at least they’re getting through the crowd okay.

Hannah runs through the crowd, twirling and slicing through the bandits with her sword gracefully. She smiles as she does so, picking up Punz’s axe and sliding it across the ground, and he picks it up, giving her a thankful nod.

Purpled gives Punz a nod and a smile before his eyes widen as he notices something and suddenly his brother is running after Hannah, shouting.

Punz turns his gaze to see what Purpled saw: an archer taking aim for Hannah as she slices through two of his friends.

Punz stares, eyes wide, as Purpled runs, shield broken, towards Hannah.

“Purpled!” He shouts, voice hoarse from yelling, but his brother pays him no mind, and Punz can only watch in horror as the arrow flies, Hannah’s eyes going wide as she notices, and Purpled reaching Hannah just in time for the arrow to hit.

Punz screams wordlessly as he runs towards his younger brother. Hannah grabs her own bow and fires it at the attacker, hitting him straight in the middle of the forehead, and he disappears in a red flash.

Punz lands sharply on his knees, cradling his brother’s head as Hannah tears away the sleeve of Purpled’s jacket to reveal the extent of the injury. Punz looks around them, hand on the hilt of his blade, but it seems they got them all: the archer was the last of their enemies.

And the most dangerous, Punz thinks as he takes a closer look at the wound.

For the most part, it looks like a normal arrow wound, something Punz would be able to treat easily on any other day.

At the base of the arrow, however, Punz watches as a blue tinge spreads from the puncture, veins around it turning an unnatural shade of cyan.

“What… what is that?” Hannah asks quietly, and Punz shakes his head. 

“I don’t know.”

Purpled groans as he looks at it. “Doesn’t look good,” he says.

“Why did you do that?” Hannah and Punz ask at the same time, Punz angrily as he pushes down the fear threatening to spill over; Hannah horrified and voice wobbling with unshed tears.

“Hannah’s done it for me, many times. Thought it was just a normal arrow. Just my luck the one time I try to do something nice, it completely backfires,” Purpled says, rolling his eyes like it was nothing.

Hannah grimaces as the blue seems to spread. “Punz, get me a gapple. Let’s try to stop this before it gets any worse.”

Punz opens his backpack, rummaging for the golden fruit as Hannah rips off the rest of Purpled’s sleeve.

Purpled watches on in distaste. “I like this jacket. This jacket was expensive. Do you know how hard it’s going to be to get another one like it?”

“You won’t need another one like it if you keep complaining and I don’t try to stop the flow of this poison,” Hannah retorts.

Punz pulls out the golden apple carefully, taking his knife and cutting it into slices before handing them to Purpled.

“I can eat an apple!” Purpled complains.

“You’re right-handed, and the arrow hit your right arm. You’re not moving that any time soon if we don’t get this under control quickly,” Punz says sharply.

Purpled rolls his eyes and accepts the apple slices. as Hannah shreds the sleeve into long bands of fabric.

Punz watches as his brother eats one, two, three, then the last slice, keeping a careful eye on the poison.

It doesn’t improve, Punz notices with a sinking heart. If anything, it just seems to be continuing on its steady decline in condition. He lets out a shaky breath as he sighs nervously.

Purpled stares at it as well, purple eyes flickering from his brother to the wound nervously. “Why isn’t it getting better?” He asks, the tinge of fear in his voice causing a pool of guilt to form in Punz’s stomach.

“Get a god apple,” Hannah says, tensely, as she wraps the fabric around Purpled’s upper arm, just above the arrowhead.

“He only has one left,” Purpled says, and Punz can tell by the way his brother still looks scared that the only reason why his voice sounds calm is that he’s forcing it to be that way.

“I can buy another,” Punz says roughly, digging into his bag with a passion.

Hannah tugs the fabric tightly around Purpled’s arm, and Punz winces as his brother lets out a hiss of pain.

Grabbing the enchanted fruit, Punz pulls it out carefully. “Do you want me to cut this one up?” He asks, and Purpled looks up at him, nodding quietly.

Punz complies, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he hands Purpled the slices, one at a time, keeping an eye on the wound.

“Hannah, will you take the arrow out?” Punz says, voice soft, and he almost curses himself for all of this: taking the job, letting Purpled take the job, letting Purpled get hurt like this.

She nods, using a knife to carefully cut some of the skin around the barbs of the arrowhead, and Purpled hisses.

To Punz’s horror, he watches as the blood streaming from the wound and where Hannah cuts is blue, the way prismarine and diamonds were.

“It doesn’t hurt, thanks to this,” Purpled says, lifting the last slice as he brings it to his lips. “Or at least not bad.”

“That’s good,” Punz mumbles, watching as Hannah pulls the arrow free, dropping it when she’s done and grabbing bandages, even though they both know that once the god apple hits, the bleeding will stop quickly.

“How do you feel?” Punz asks, staring at the blue tinge of the bandage.

“Not… super good? Kinda queasy to be honest,” Purpled says, looking at the wound, and the three of them sit for a moment in silence as the blue pulses, the tinge continuing to spread down Purpled’s veins.

“Shit,” Punz says, dread pooling in his gut.

“Shit,” Purpled and Hannah repeat.

Purpled groans as he leans his head back. “Let’s at least get somewhere safe to deal with this, huh? Carry me.”

Punz tries to crack a smile, but he has a feeling that both of them can tell that it’s fake, and he hurries to lift Purpled in his arms, careful with his brother’s arm.

_ Shit _ , he thinks to himself.  _ Shit shit shit shit. _


	2. Aria Math

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Punz and Hannah wait for help.

Hannah watches in horror as the blue slowly spreads away from the puncture on her friend’s arm, cursing herself for letting them even get in this position: scared, hurt, facing the unknown.

She can take care of herself! She just also likes watching out for her friends, which is why normally she’s the one to take hits for her friends. Being an iron golem hybrid meant that she could take more damage anyways, her thick skin stopping even the sharpest of blades.

_ She should have been looking out for herself, and maybe they wouldn’t be in this position _ , she thinks guiltily.

Purpled lies on the other side of the fire from her and Punz, fast asleep, but she can see the blue tinge slowly crawling up his neck and down his arm.

And, gods, Punz being here too… This is a nightmare.

As if sensing her thoughts, Punz places a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” he says, but he sounds tired, more tired than Hannah has ever heard him sound before.

“If-”

“No ifs,” Punz interrupts.

She sighs, letting the sound of the crackling fire fill the air.

“If it were normal circumstances, it’d be me in danger instead of Purpled,” she says softly.

“And you think Purpled would just let you die?”

She looks up at that in surprise, green eyes meeting blue-grey ones. 

Punz smiles. “You know, you’re one of the few people who’s lasted a while as one of Purpled’s partners? As much as he hates taking jobs alone, he never seems to get along with people.”

“That’s not true,” she says softly.

“I can think of a few others, namely 80, but…” Punz shrugs. 

“Purpled doesn’t like me that much.”

“As his brother, I can tell you that he thinks highly of you. Not something I can say about most people.”

Hannah stares guiltily into the fire. “Which is why he took that shot for me?”

Punz nods. “From the sounds of things, though, you’d have done the same.”

“I’m an iron golem hybrid,” she points out. “I can take the hits. Plus, who knows? Whatever poison that is, it might not have even affected me,” she says, hugging herself, feeling miserable.

“And then again, it might have. We have no idea.”

Silence fills the air between them, and Hannah’s at least thankful it’s less awkward, even if she’s still worried.

“What are we going to do?” She whispers.

Punz shrugs. “I called in a favor from a friend. Provided Purpled survives, he might be able to help. He’s got some… powers.”

“A hybrid?” She asks, feeling a little bit of hope.

“Something like that.”

They sit and stare into the fire, the flames moving hypnotically, and Hannah can’t help but feel worse than she did before.

“Provided he survives?” She whispers. “Are we already thinking like that?”

Punz glares into the fire, looking upset. The glow of the flames turns his eyes into ice. “You see how quickly it’s spreading. Your tourniquet thing did next to nothing. And we don’t know what it’s doing.”

Hannah hums, thinking, her stomach twisting in knots.

“At least he still has three lives,” Punz says, sounding miserable.

“I’d like for it to stay that way,” Hannah says, voice rising in pitch as she struggles to keep her emotions in check, her eyes burning as she holds back tears.

Punz nods. “So would I. But we don’t always have a say in the matter.”

“This shouldn’t even have happened,” Hannah replies. “Maybe if I hadn’t saved him in the past-”

“You don’t really regret that.”

Hannah falls silent, before letting out a long sigh. “I don’t.”

“So if you wouldn’t change any of your actions leading up to this, why are you trying to find out what you would have done differently?”

Hannah stares into the fire, the sparks flickering, and she feels a little lost with how fragile everything seems, how precarious life and peace are.

“What would you have done differently?” She asks quietly.

Punz freezes, eyes widening.

“If I’m blaming myself as Purpled’s friend, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling as his brother.”

His mouth twists into a grimace. “So many things,” he says quietly.

She falls silent at that.

“Not take this job for starters.”

“Purpled would’ve still taken it, and then we’d be here without knowing that help is on the way,” Hannah counters.

Punz sighs. “Not let him run towards you?” He asks, but Hannah can see the doubt in his eyes.

“That’s controlling his actions, not your own,” she points out.

Punz sighs, falling silent.

“I don’t know if there’s anything either of us could have done,” she says. “But what we can do is try to keep him alive until your friend gets here.” She pauses at that. “And that is soon, right?”

Punz nods. “Should be. He said tomorrow evening at the latest.”

“Hopefully.”

Punz shakes his head. “Nah, he always follows through. I haven’t met anything that could actually stop him. Heard of a few things, but I’ve never actually met them myself.”

“And what’s that?” Hannah asks, adjusting so she’s not curling into a tiny ball, arms wrapped around her legs. Instead, she sits on her sleeping bag, basking in the warmth of the fire, hoping it will warm the chill of worry in her chest.

Punz smiles, almost as if he doesn’t believe in the existence of the things he mentions: “Demons and Champions of the Blood God.”

Hannah chuckles. “Those don’t exist.”

Punz grins. “That’s what I said.”

They sit in comfortable silence before Punz clears his throat. “I’ll take the first watch. Try to get what rest you can.”

Hannah frowns. “I’ll try.”

She stretches out on her sleeping bag, keeping her eyes on her friend across the fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Punz tighten his grip on his axe.

_ It’s going to be a long, sleepless night for the both of us _ , she thinks, shutting her eyes, hoping for rest.


	3. Dry Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The savior's hour

The sun is high in the sky by the time Punz actually tries to wake Purpled up.

He shakes his brother’s shoulder gently, wary and suspicious of how much the blue has spread, almost reaching the wrist on his arm, spreading slowly like vines across Purpled’s cheek.

His brother doesn’t respond, and fear sends painful spikes into Punz’s chest, and his breath catches in his throat.

“Purpled?” Punz asks, shaking his shoulder harder, and Hannah looks up from where she’s packing up their belongings, having claimed she needed something to do with her hands while they waited for Punz’s friend to show up.

Punz takes in a shaky breath. His brother is a very light sleeper. This is not right.  _ This is not right, this is not right, this is not right _ .

Punz reaches his hand towards Purpled’s wrist, feeling carefully for the tell-tale sensation he’s looking for, and he feels it, slow and weak, but there nonetheless, his pulse still going. Punz closes his eyes for a moment, focusing on the heartbeat beneath his fingers.

“What’s wrong?” Hannah calls out, green eyes wide and bright in the sunlight.

“He’s not waking up,” Punz says, letting out his breath in a slow, controlled manner. “He’s still got a pulse, but…” He trails off, looking over at her, feeling helpless.

“Shit,” Hannah hisses. She looks up at the sky, unseasonably clear, and Punz can’t help but look upwards as well. “When is your friend getting here?”

“Soon, I hope,” Punz says.

“Is this soon enough?” A familiar voice calls out, and Punz spins around, a relieved grin on his face as he looks at the smiley face mask before him.

“Dream.”

“Punz.”

Hannah’s eyes widen with recognition as she takes in the newcomer. “Your friend is Dream?” She asks incredulously.

Dream nods his head slightly. “At your service.” He offers his hand to Hannah to shake, who takes it with wide eyes, the roses on her arm swaying slightly as she shakes his hand.

“So, what’s the emergency?”

“My brother,” Punz says gesturing. “He got shot with something and…”

Dream kneels by Purpled in a flash, hands hovering above the arrow wound and the poisonous blue spreading underneath the skin. “This looks serious. When did he get shot?”

“Yesterday. Maybe… 18, 20 hours ago?” Punz says, mouth feeling dry as he listens to the concerned tone of voice Dream uses.  _ If Dream is nervous… No, best not to think like that _ , Punz tells himself, shaking his head, trying to clear the thoughts.

From this angle, Punz can see Dream purse his lips behind the mask. “I should be able to fix this. I learned a new trick in the past couple of weeks from my sister.”

“The god one?” Punz asks dubiously, and Dream looks up at him.

“Don’t say you don’t believe what you haven’t seen yourself,” he says, and although his tone is light, Punz can hear the warning, and Punz grimaces, fear and guilt causing his shoulders to crumple inwards as he hugs himself.

“Sorry, I just…”

Dream waves a hand before turning back to Purpled. “I know you meant no offense. Besides, not believing something until you’ve seen it isn’t a bad way to live life.”

Punz watches as Dream lays his hands gently around the arrow wound, eyes behind the mask closed gently, teeth grit as Dream concentrates.

His hands start glowing white, and Punz’s eyes widen as he watches, the lighting consuming both Dream and Purpled.

Hannah gasps beside Punz as she watches Dream look at them for a moment, mask almost transparent, one green eye locking with Punz’s before Dream turns back.

The glow lasts for one blinding moment, then another, and then it fades, quicker than it formed.

Dream and Purpled are in the same position they were before, and Dream nearly collapses backward, pushing his mask out of his face, and Punz can see how drained and tired he looks.

But Punz has other priorities, and he rushes to kneel beside his brother, sighing with relief as he notices the blue fading, disappearing steadily, quickly, before his eyes.

After a moment, Purpled groans and sits up, rubbing his eyes.

Punz pulls him close, hugging him tightly, hand in his brother’s hair, and he whispers a thank you to the universe, though he’s not really sure who will receive it, and he doesn’t particularly care.

“Blegh, get off of me. Sap,” Purpled complains, and Punz pulls back, leaving his hands on his brother’s shoulders.

“How do you feel?” Hannah asks, hovering nervously.

“Less like shit than I did?”

Punz chuckles despite himself.

Dream chuckles, too, and Punz turns to look at his friend, mask still off, eating a golden apple casually.

“Dream, I can’t thank you enough-”

“I don’t want your apology. You’re my friend. Plus, who else can I pay to have my back that will consistently do a good job? Can’t have you being off your game cause you lost your brother.” Dream waves his free hand, finishing the apple and tossing the core into the fire pit before pulling his mask back over his face. “We’re good, you hear me?”

Punz nods.

“Good. Now, get some rest. You look like shit. I’ll see you next time I need you.”

And, as suddenly as he appeared, Dream leaves.

Punz sighs, staring at the empty space.

Hannah smiles, looking relieved and amazed. “I can’t believe I just met Dream.”

“He’s kinda an ass,” Purpled replies.

“Speaking of things I can’t believe,” Punz says, looking at Purpled. “What the fuck was that? You’re an idiot.”

Purpled grins sheepishly. “Can’t argue with that.”

“You almost died!”

“I have all three lives, I would’ve been fine.”

“I’d like you to continue having three lives!”

Purpled opens his mouth to argue when they’re interrupted by a wheezing laugh in the trees, and the three of them look around, suddenly alert.

“As I said, he’s an ass,” Purpled says after a moment of silence.

Punz turns to Purpled. “Let’s head back into town. Unless you want to sit and rest first?”

Purpled rolls his eyes. “Nah. Let’s head back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, next fic in the series will probably be the dream team one. that, or, depending on where I'm at with lost city, I have a dadbur & fundy fic in the works.


End file.
